If Only
by TheAuthor44
Summary: One-shot. What I felt could be a scene from 2x04 in between after Daniel got punched and when they're in the lab listening to the feed from the bug. My take on if Peggy and Daniel found themselves in close proximity to each other, would they wonder If Only...


**If OnIf Only…**

 **By: TheAuthor44**

 ***Authors note: Hi guys! This is just a one shot I thought of while watching my latest obsession _ABC's Agent Carter_. Hope you enjoy!***

As Peggy Carter waited patiently just outside the broom closet of Howard Stark's L.A. mansion she had two thoughts. One; she hoped this plan would work and they would get all the information they needed to take down The Arena Club and Whitney Frost. And two; that Daniel could take a punch.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a grunt and Rufus Hunt running past the rack of tools she was hiding behind. Peggy waited until she was sure Mr. Hunt had vacated the premises before making her way to the broom closet. When she got to the open doorway Peggy had to stifle a laugh at the sight before her, Daniel on the floor nursing a now sore jaw. It occurred to her that she had never actually seen Daniel in a position like this and suddenly an overwhelming sense of concern for his well being washed over her.

"Well that went well." She said trying to cover her awkward emotional state.

"Yeah, but did I really have to take a punch?"

"It's the least you can contribute after all he's already throttled me twice." She said hoping a joke would lighten the mood.

"If you say so." Daniel said as he quirked his brow at her before bringing himself into a seated position.

"Here let me help you." Peggy said as she walked towards him.

"No its okay, I can do it."

"Don't be ridiculous Daniel, up on three?" she said extending her hands straight out in front of her. Daniel nodded obviously realizing that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. He leaned forward extending his arms and when Daniels hands slid into Peggy's she felt a shaky breath rise up in her throat as she tried desperately to ignore the wonderful sensation that went through her from his touch. She then flashed back to not even an hour ago on the stairs at the SSR. She had initially reached out to touch the sample that Daniel had "procured" to make sure she wasn't imagining it, but decided at the last moment to touch Daniels hand instead as to not draw suspicion and she had felt the same thing then. If she was being honest with herself she had even felt it as they shook hands when she first arrived in Los Angeles. It had surprised her at first, like a warm wave that washed over her making her feel very at ease and excited all at the same time; which of course she had to snap out of quickly. Especially when she found out that Daniel was well on his way to being engaged. Still Peggy let her mind wander from time to time about if things had gone differently back in New York. If they had gone for that drink, or if he had returned one of her many phone calls. Who knew what could have transpired between them but ultimately she knew the past can not be changed so instead Peggy looked to the future instead, or rather back to the present.

"Right then. On three, ready?" Peggy said shaking herself from her thoughts focusing on the task at hand.

"One, two, three." Peggy said as she pulled Daniel up off the floor. They were successful at getting him up but with his crutch hanging off his arm Daniel lost his balance. Peggy grabbed at his shoulders to steady him as he did the same with her, bringing them no more than a hairs length away from each other. Peggy could feel Daniels warm breath mingling with her own as she looked into his deep brown eyes, their noses almost touching. They stood in silence for a moment, neither one of them motioning to break away. The sensation only grew as Peggy felt Daniels hands move slightly against the fabric of her sleeve, almost like a gentle caress. As she ran her hands down his arms she could feel his muscles under the thin cotton button down, strong but not too hard.

"Thanks." Daniel said softly almost like he was afraid to scare her if he spoke any louder.

"My pleasure." Peggy replied without thinking, wondering if he would sense the double meaning in her words. For as much as she knew it was wrong, in that moment all she wanted to do was close the distance between their lips and learn how it would feel if that sensation came from somewhere else other than his hands. The look on Daniels face gave Peggy the impression that he might be having the same thought. It was then that Peggy thought about the last kiss she had shared. With Jason. And before that her kiss with Steve as he mounted the Hydra plane. All of a sudden Peggy worried that if she kissed Daniel something would happen to him too, and that was something she could never let happen. So before she or Daniel moved to get closer Peggy pulled away out of his grasp coming back to reality.

"We should probably get back to the lab. We don't want to miss anything coming in on the bug." She said as she turned to walk out of the room.

"Yes, of course." Daniel said as he adjusted his crutch to support his weight.

But as Peggy walked away from Daniel she felt she had to say something at the very least to let him know how she felt about the moment that had just transpired.

"Daniel…" Peggy started to say but the minute her eyes met his the words died in her throat.

"We really do make quite a wonderful team, you and I." she said suddenly feeling the urge to choke back tears. Daniel smiled at her almost as if he understood, that what she really wanted to say was 'If only…'.

"Yeah Peg, we sure do." He replied with a mix of emotions in his eyes.

So they continued to make their way back to the lab, but that didn't stop the gentle smile that made its way across her face just knowing that he felt the same.


End file.
